Low back pain in pregnancy: A comparative study of two pain-rating scales

Abstract

A sample of ten pregnant Caucasian women, with an average age of 31,8 ±5,7 years, experiencing low back pain in the third trimester of pregnancy, rated the intensity of their pain on two commonly used pain rating scales: the horizontal visual analogue scale (VAS) and the eight-face pictorial pain scale (PPS). A mean of 3,1 ±2,5 cms was found using the VAS and a mean of 5(E) was obtained on the PPS. A product-moment correlation of the two scales showed a correlation of 0,84 (p = 0,001). This implies that both pain rating scales are able to measure a similar intensity of low back pain in pregnant women.